Ben 10 — An Omniverse of Choices and Consequences

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Night

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The first sensation Ben registered was pressure against his side and cheek. It didn't feel soft like a bed; it was as if he was on the ground. Strangely, despite the chilly weather, he found himself without a bedcover yet fully clothed.

As consciousness fully returned, Ben confirmed his suspicion: he was indeed lying on frigid ground. Slowly, he pushed himself up and opened his eyes.

Initially, his vision could only discern a handful of blurry light sources. As his eyes adjusted, he cautiously approached the edge of the platform he found himself on.

Gazing out, he recognized the silhouettes of skyscrapers piercing the night sky, most notably the distinctive Billion Tower.

Lowering his gaze, he could barely make out the streets below, the moving lines of car headlights providing the only illumination to the otherwise dark cityscape. Based on his surroundings, Ben concluded he must be on the rooftop of a tall building.

"Why did Grandpa attack me? Why am I here?" Ben looked instinctively at his Omnitrix. Without it, he would be far more scared… no! Even worse for him, without the Omnitrix, he would be—

"The princess has finally woken up." A hoarse and distorted voice sounded behind him.

Ben turned around. He was wary but since he wasn't harmed while he was unconscious, he didn't immediately transform.

'An alien? Or a monster? He looks like one of those crappy monster toys you can assemble with different parts, but then some overzealous artist had the idea to draw it in an ultra-realistic style… Wait, what?!' His heart pounded as he finally reached a conclusion, noticing the black hair on the head of the monster.

'This is one of the things I wanted to avoid at all costs! Grandpa! Why did you knock me out?! What happened at Mt. Rushmore?! Why is he here?!'

"Nice to meet you, Kevin E. Levin!" Ben started with a smile.

"Yeah, nice to meet you, Ben Tennyson!" Kevin continued with a smile, but on his current face, his smile wasn't… humanlike.

Kevin was Vilgax's only rival as the greatest antagonist in the original Ben 10 series. His debut showed his ruthlessness — at just 10 years old, he attempted to murder train passengers for money without hesitation. His energy absorption ability made him particularly dangerous, as he could absorb… the Omnitrix energy!

Ben dropped his casual facade. He wanted answers now!

His hand reached the Omnitrix, selecting an alien but not transforming yet — for the same reason that had kept him from transforming when he first awoke. He wasn't hurt.

"What do you want?! What happened?! Are you still sane after absorbing the Omnitrix energy?!"

On the night, one could see a small figure on the roof and in front of him a giant bulky figure of more than two meters.

'If he's crazy, I'll kill him, no matter which side he chose! I can't hesitate like I did with Nemesis!' This thought filled Ben's mind. Though he had never killed before and preferred not to, the situation was already bad and unclear enough without allowing something to make it worse… Like a new version of Kevin 11 roaming free!

The 11 represented Kevin's combined powers — his original ability plus the powers of Ben's 10 aliens.

In front of him stood the amalgamation of his current 10 aliens. Even with just 1/10 of each alien's power, he would still be dangerous due to his versatility — and that was the best-case scenario. The extent of Kevin's powers in the original timeline was never clear, and this universe might operate under different rules.

The entity towered over two meters tall, its bulky humanoid form both imposing and terrifying. Eight spider-like legs, each as thick as a tree trunk and three meters long, protruded from its back, covered in dark armored plating. Its body was a patchwork of different textures and colors — a torso wrapped in bandages with glowing green eyes peering through the gaps, muscular arms covered in dark red and brown rocks that radiated heat and fire, and hands that ended in crab-like pincers.

The entity's face was a grotesque fusion of features. A monstrous mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth dominated its lower half, while multiple eyes covered the upper portion, creating an unsettling visage. Two bat-like ears jutted from the sides of its head, and bizarrely, a Victorian-style mustache adorned its upper lip.

Transparent purple spikes protruded from its forearms, releasing an otherworldly smoke that wrapped itself around the creature. A large, battery-like structure on its back hummed with electrical energy, sending intermittent bolts of green lightning coursing across its body.

The creature was a monstrous fusion of disparate elements.

"It's quite simple, Tennyson," Kevin finally answered one of his questions. "What better way to control my new powers than to confront you!"

"I see…" The tone of Ben relaxed, but his stiff posture, ready to slam the Omnitrix, showed it was an act. "And do you intend to kill me after?"

"No, I can only obtain your current transformations' abilities. So I will come back to you when you unlock new ones… of course, I will come back whether you like it or not."

"What hap—"

"Figure it out yourself, Tennyson. I'm not your personal historian. Just be grateful to get to live since this person wanted you dead." The green electricity around Kevin crackled stronger. "Are you ready to fight?! I've chosen this city as the perfect arena!"

"Arena…? Wait! Can't you choose an empty place?!" Ben yelled.

'I knew it, he needs to die, quickly! Before he can do any damage, before he can become proficient with my aliens!' There was no place for hesitation.

"No, boring. And I always wondered what a city would look like in-" Kevin 11's words were cut short as a blinding green flash engulfed Ben.

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Transformation sequence — Duration: 0.00 seconds

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His human eyes receded into their sockets before vanishing entirely. His ears grew and reshaped, taking on a bat-like appearance. His skin transformed, becoming a mottled brown and yellow-tan hue with a slightly rough texture.

His fingers elongated marginally, becoming more dexterous. Suddenly, dozens of vibrant green round eyes with jet-black pupils erupted across his body. They appeared on his arms, back, torso, and both palms, leaving only his mouth and bat-like ears on his face.

The Omnitrix symbol blazed a brilliant green on his belt as a pair of black and green pants materialized, serving as his clothes.

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Recap of abilities

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He possesses a few dozen eyes spread across his body. Each eye can emit various energy beams, including freezing rays, green fire, and electricity, among other abilities.

He can freely move his eyes across his body's surface and combine multiple eyes into a larger one to create more powerful energy projections.

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In an instant, emerald flames erupted from every one of Eye Guy's eyes, converging on Kevin in a devastating barrage.

Though Heatblast possessed a far superior fire output, Ben chose Eye Guy for his versatility.

Green beams alternated between searing flames and freezing ice in rapid succession, each blast striking Kevin's armored form. The constant thermal stress caused his protective plating to fracture and splinter.

"Tennyson!" Kevin roared under the assault, but before he could close the distance, a powerful gust of wind from Eye Guy's eyes forced him back.

During his training at Mt. Rushmore, Ben had discovered Eye Guy's true potential. While the alien's logic eluded him, Ben understood its capabilities — each eye could harness elemental powers at will. Though weaker than specialized aliens, this versatility made Eye Guy uniquely dangerous. Whether through magic or science, the mechanism remained a mystery.

'Now!' All of Eye Guy's eyes merged into one massive orb. A colossal beam of freezing energy engulfed Kevin, encasing him in a prison of ice. Without pause, he followed with a blast of intense heat, vaporizing both Kevin and his icy cage.

'Using Thermal shock — rapid alternation between hot and cold — I disrupted his cellular structure in case he could regenerate like Snare-Oh. Since I didn't give him any chance to attack and his lack of mastery over his powers, it was simple.' Eye Guy slammed his hand against the Omnitrix dial on his belt, reverting to human.

'Reading scientific articles with Brainstorm and the training really paid off… I have at least one special move for each transformation… except the last… I wonder if Kevin could have figured out what the purple smoke can do since I can't.'

'…I've killed someone… Huh. I thought I'd feel something… No… I'm not feeling guilt… But I do feel something…' He looked at the city from the rooftop, though his vision had worsened to where he could only see balls of light. 'Meh… Let's transform into Snare-Oh and fix—'

Ben turned around as a strange noise sounded.

"HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!" A maniacal laughter cut through the eerie silence, sending chills down Ben's metaphorical spine. "You are effectively the GOAT, Tennyson! I didn't expect to feel fear since I became 11."

From a small scrap of burned, distorted metallic bandage, Kevin's regeneration began. Flesh, bone, and metal coalesced at an alarming rate, his monstrous form materializing like a nightmare given form.

Ben looked at his watch with difficulty, desperate to finish Kevin off, but afraid choosing the wrong alien — he could barely distinguish the shapes in time.

Within seconds, Kevin 11 stood whole again, a towering amalgamation of alien parts, each more terrifying than the last. His eyes fixed on Ben.

"I can't fight you now — the time limit of my watch is worse than in the saga… only a few seconds, but it's still the greatest weapon in the universe!" Though Ben could actually fight, there were too many unknowns to prioritize it, and the battle wouldn't stay confined to the rooftop.

Besides, Kevin couldn't kill him since he needed to collect more alien powers from the Omnitrix… and Ben could always hunt Kevin down later.

Kevin blinked at the explanation… it was fair enough actually.

"…Really? I was hyped for nothing!" Green electricity crackled across Kevin's body, arcing between his mismatched limbs as he began to levitate. He was about to soar away before he stopped, his monstrous form hovering ominously above the rooftop.

"Just kidding, your Omnitrix doesn't look red to me. Are you lying? Planning to track me down later, to arrest or kill me in some secluded location? Or maybe you're just trying to escape like a coward?"

Ben maintained his poker face. "Not everything works the same in each universe. If anything, showing a bright red light when depowered is impractical compared to just not working."

Actually, Ben wondered what the time-off really meant, since most of the Omnitrix's functions clearly worked afterward, but this wasn't the moment to think about it.

Kevin blinked again… it felt like bullshit, but the explanation was still oddly reasonable.

"Then let me check this—"

"Nope!" Ben selected Heatblast on his Omnitrix. 'Damn, he's sharp, or it's due to Brainstorm… Anyway, I now have 30 full minutes of transformation time instead of 29 due to my stalling… but let's keep this short. I can't use the same strategy.'

Kevin launched towards him like a missile. A brilliant green flash engulfed Ben, transforming him into Heatblast, a being of fire and molten rock.

In an instant, a roaring inferno erupted, hurling a tidal wave of flames at Kevin. The scorching blast would have incinerated any normal being, but Kevin 11 was far from ordinary. He stood his ground, a dark silhouette amidst the raging firestorm.

Beneath their feet, the rooftop began to liquefy, bubbling and hissing. Rivers of molten concrete flowed between the cracks, casting an eerie glow across the battlefield.

Through the wall of flames, Kevin 11's eyes flashed a brilliant green. A barrage of emerald lasers erupted from them, piercing through the fiery veil and streaking towards the source of the inferno.

The lasers struck Heatblast with devastating force. In an instant, the fiery alien was engulfed in a rapidly expanding cocoon of ice. Steam hissed violently as fire and frost collided. Within seconds, where once stood a being of living flame and magma, there was now only a frozen, crystalline statue.

Kevin flew towards the ice statue, his massive hand striking it off the roof. Before it could begin to fall, fire ignited within the statue. Heatblast levitated as he increased his heat — his flames shifting from red to orange, then blazing into bright yellow.

For simplicity, Ben called it Heatblast 3 and sometimes Heatblast Yellow form. He was proud of himself for the originality… somewhere in another multiverse, someone sneezed.

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Flame heat and color levels

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- 0. Invisible: <500 °C (<900°F)

- Dark red: 500-600°C (900-1'100°F)

- Dull red: 600-800°C (1'100-1'650°F)

- Heatblast base form. Bright cherry red: 800-1'000°C (1'650-1'800°F)

- 2. Orange: 1'000-1'200°C (1'800-2'100°F)

- 3. Bright yellow: 1'200-1'400°C (2'100-2'500°F)

- 4. White: 1'400-1'600°C (2'500-2'900°F)

- 5. Blue: 1'400-1'600°C (2'552-2'912°F)

- Peak. Violet/Blue-violet: >1'650 °C (>3'000 °F)

Each stage increases the speed, fire output, and heat. Only the Invisible stage and the Violet/Blue-violet stage have other clear advantages.

While Blue and White stages share similar temperature ranges, they differ in their energy concentration and application.

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"Done playing around, Tennyson? Let's fight!" Kevin's monstrous voice thundered across the night sky as he rocketed towards Heatblast.

'Underneath…' With this thought in mind, Heatblast ignited his flames to maximum thrust, leaving a blazing trail of superheated smoke in his wake. Kevin pursued relentlessly, slowly but surely closing the gap between them until he abruptly halted mid-flight.

"I'm bored… Since you don't want to fight then…" Malice dripped from Kevin's words as he angled his grotesque form down, towards the unsuspecting city below.

"Stop." The word carried weight beyond its simplicity. While saving civilians wasn't Ben's primary objective, Kevin had absorbed his Omnitrix's energy. Though Ben hadn't anticipated being knocked unconscious nor he noticed any warning signs, this situation was his responsibility — not from any moral obligation to use his powers for others, but because this chaos stemmed partially from his own failure to protect his Omnitrix.

Kevin paused as he gazed at Heatblast. The fiery alien thought, 'Should I try to have a normal conversation? I can't fully understand him and he's real, not some 2D character… But I did try to kill him… and will probably continue…'

"W—" As Ben began, Kevin flew downward. He crackled with more emerald electricity, his monstrous form propelling towards the bustling streets below, his maniacal laughter echoing through the night like thunder.

"HAHAHAHA! Did you actually expect me to stop? The night is going to be fun!"

"No!" Heatblast unleashed a continuous stream of flames from his hands. He rocketed after Kevin 11, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. The chase was on, a deadly game of cat and mouse in the unsuspecting city.

However… Heatblast 3 was still too slow to catch up to Kevin 11 in time.

A monstrous creature, pieced together from mismatched body parts, tore through the night sky like a nightmare come to life. It crashed into the city with the force of a runaway train. An apartment building, home to dozens of families, shook violently as the beast slammed into it. In seconds, the structure folded in on itself like a house of cards. The air filled with the ear-splitting screech of twisting metal and shattering glass, drowning out the terrified screams of those trapped inside.

On the streets below, chaos reigned. Cars flipped as if tossed by a giant child, their passengers still inside. Lampposts snapped like twigs, sparks showering down as live wires whipped about, and pavement cracked under each impact. Sirens wailed in the distance as destruction engulfed the city.

"HAHA! We are having fun! Right, Tennyson?!" Kevin's eyes scanned the night sky, his other eyes shooting beams of fire, ice, and electricity with absurd precision towards anyone in sight, mainly using ice beams to the head, leaving survivors to claw desperately at their throats as they struggled to breathe.

His spider-like limbs struck out with horrifying accuracy, skewering those brave or unlucky enough to be nearby. Each strike deliberately missed vital organs, leaving victims suspended like grotesque puppets, their blood painting abstract patterns on the cracked pavement below, their agonized cries echoing through the air.

A few of the impaled victims summoned the strength to fire at Kevin, but their bullets bounced harmlessly off his monstrous frame. Demonstrating his dominance, Kevin unleashed a burst of flames and electricity from his spider-like limbs onto the helpless victims. Their screams intensified as they burned like meat on a grill until only the sizzling of their charring flesh could be heard.

An unholy smell filled the surroundings.

Everything unfolded… in less than one minute!

"You are too slow!"

In relentless pursuit, a living inferno blazed across the night, a second sun in the sky. The being of flame halted mid-flight, its core temperature surging beyond 1'200 °C (2'100 °F). The yellow flames intensified, growing brighter and hotter until they transformed into a blinding white inferno reaching 1'500 °C (2'732.0 °F).

The air around Heatblast 4 shimmered and distorted, only a little smoke remained as the extreme heat nearly consumed all fuel. This fiery apparition became a beacon in the darkness, its raw heat warping steel beams and shattering glass.

"KEVIN!"

The few survivors who remained could only watch in horror as the two beings of destruction clashed above them.

Heatblast extended his hands forward, unleashing a barrage of white-hot fire. The blasts erupted from his palms in rapid succession, each stream intertwining with crimson ribbons of superheated magma-plasma that sustained the intense combustion.

Through the clearing dust cloud, Kevin, crackling with green electricity, burst forth with devastating speed. However, with the current stage of transformation being even faster, Heatblast 4 easily evaded the charge. He unleashed a hellish barrage of superheated punches, each strike leaving smoldering craters in Kevin's grotesque form.

Kevin feinted right, but Heatblast anticipated, dodging left — exactly as Kevin planned. His heat-resistant metallic bandages snaked around the fiery being, unnoticed.

Before Heatblast could react, Kevin whirled him like a meteor, slamming him repeatedly against the crumbling pavement, through parked vehicles, and into building walls. Finally, Kevin released his grip, sending the living inferno crashing through multiple buildings. Each collision ignited new fires as he crashed through floor after floor, leaving fire and molten concrete in his wake.

While this transformation excelled at heat manipulation, it lacked physical durability, though it still surpassed human. Every impact registered as searing pain in his mind, though miraculously nothing seemed completely shattered — at least not yet.

Amidst the burning wreckage in a building floor, Heatblast pushed aside smoldering rubble, his mind racing despite the pain. 'It was brief, but I saw it — Kevin was still burned when he threw me. His regeneration is slowing. I never tested Snare-Oh's regeneration limits, but truly unlimited regeneration shouldn't be possible… I think? I have 26 minutes remaining. I need to force him to regenerate repeatedly until he can't anymore…'

He propelled himself through a shattered window, emerging from the building. In that instant, he spotted dozens of vehicles hurtling through the air — not directly at him, but at seemingly random trajectories around and behind him. The scattered pattern suggested Kevin wasn't simply throwing them wildly.

"You fucking—!" Heatblast's flames flickered between colors, straining towards but never quite reaching blue. Concentrating intensely, his hands began alternating between white and blue flames, the heat so extreme it threatened to burn even himself. The fire condensed, no longer wavering but focused into pure destructive force.

'Special move: White-Blue Oven Turnado.'

Heatblast launched forward with explosive force, his body becoming a living maelstrom of destruction. The air itself seemed to scream as he spun, creating a cyclonic inferno of blue-white flames that turned the night into day. The vortex of hellfire twisted and roared, its heat so intense it warped reality itself, creating visible distortions in the air that bent light like a mirage.

The hurled vehicles melted instantly, transformed from solid metal into superheated liquid that joined the tempest. Before Kevin could process the devastation, Heatblast pierced through his torso like a needle through fabric. The heat was so extreme it didn't just cauterize — it instantaneously vaporized flesh and bone, leaving a perfectly clean hole through Kevin's monstrous form, the edges glowing white-blue-hot in the darkness.

Kevin rocketed higher, his regeneration faltering against the sheer destructive power of the attack. With calculated brutality, he tore at his own wounds, ripping open the cauterized flesh again and again, forcing his increasingly taxed and slower healing factor to work overtime.

Kevin zigzagged between buildings… No! He crashed straight through them, unleashing unnecessary streams of fire and ice in every direction. A twisted smile played across his monstrous features as he witnessed the ease with which he could extinguish life and destroy.

Ben halted his tornado attack and pursued Kevin, switching tactics to launch successive balls of white-hot fire. Though most missed their mark, the sheer number ensured enough hits to be effective, each impact further taxing Kevin's weakening regeneration.

The logical part of Kevin's mind raced. 'He's figured out the regeneration weakness. I should leave — I've figured out five of my alien powers and gained insight into creating combination moves. That's enough profit. Plus, his position is being displayed live, and what's currently happening isn't exactly subtle. Some Negative-10 members want him dead, but I need him alive, so hurting him would be stupid since he would be defenseless. Can't capture or keep him unconscious either. Could get sedatives from a hospital, but the tracking issue remains. Also, the point is to uncover my powers, not pointless destruction—'

Suddenly he punched himself, surprising Heatblast for a fraction of a second before the latter continued his assault.

'No. I think too much. I'm not a nerd…' He looked behind him, then tilted his head as a fire blast nearly hit him, the sheer heat darkening his face before it slowly regenerated. "Hey, Tennyson. Thanks! It's been a while since I wasn't bored. Well… not exactly true, but just watching the saga and knowing about the wars isn't as interesting if I do nothing but learn and watch."

Heatblast looked at Kevin 11 absently while continuing his barrage. "Bored…?"

"Anyway, you noticed? I only flew around the already destroyed zone, but now—"

A beam of white fire flickering with blue cut through his words, but Kevin dodged and dove below. "Let's see how many die before you can stop me!"

Yet Heatblast didn't pursue him and landed on a rooftop, looking at the chaos below.

"Bored…?" Ben repeated out loud.

He wasn't shocked by Kevin's motivation for destruction (though there was obviously more beneath the surface), but rather that his own reason for action… was the same as him.

His main drive was never about freedom or control — it was about escaping boredom. The Omnitrix was the greatest toy any teenager could wish for. Sure, he took it seriously and trained, but looking at Kevin, he couldn't help but feel disturbed.

They were different, yet weren't they both just mindlessly acting to avoid boredom… the feeling of emptiness?

Ben's apathy towards the unfolding devastation spoke volumes. While he derived no joy from civilian casualties like Kevin did, their fates stirred little within him.

He was simply excited to fight Kevin and test his abilities.

'No. I shouldn't be ashamed of who I am… But is avoiding boredom enough of a goal?'

Heatblast shook his head. Regardless, he could tell when something was clearly wrong, and Kevin touching his Omnitrix was his responsibility. His rampage through the city needed to be stopped, and quickly!

'I have a plan!' He slammed the dial on his torso.

A green light engulfed the surroundings.

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Remaining time in Heatblast: 23 minutes

Reduction percentage per switch: 30%

Number of switches: 1

Calculation: 23 * (100% - 30%)^1 = 16.1 minutes

Approximation accounting for the time elapsed after transformations: About 16 minutes remaining